Mèts Draft - Pick 1.19 -.OF Carson Benge - Oklahoma State

 

LINK -

 Position: Outfielder/Right-Handed Pitcher

Custom1: L/R 

Class: Sophomore

Height: 6-1

Hometown: Yukon, Okla.

High School: Yukon HS

 

https://www.mlb.com/prospects/draft/carson-benge-701807 -   

Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 60 | Field: 55 | Overall: 55 

Benge was set to begin his freshman season at Oklahoma State when his elbow gave out in February 2022, leading to Tommy John surgery that cost him the entire year. The Cowboys turned him loose as a hitter and handled him more carefully as a pitcher last year, when he was a semifinalist for the John Olerud Award for college baseball's best two-way player. He's a legitimate prospect both ways, showing first-round potential at the plate and third-round upside on the mound. 

Few college hitters in this class can match Benge's combination of bat-to-ball skills and high exit velocities. A left-handed hitter, he controls the strike zone and uses the opposite field exceptionally well. He should have solid power thanks to his combination of hitting ability and bat speed, and he did a better job of turning on and lifting more pitches as this spring progressed. 

Benge has average speed and is quicker once he gets going. He's a solid defender with plus arm strength in right field, and he perhaps could fill in as a center fielder on occasion. He's intriguing as a quick-armed right-hander with a fastball that reaches 96 mph, a solid slider and the makings of an average changeup and control, but he prefers hitting and has focused more on that this spring.

 

LINK - 

Following three seasons at Oklahoma State, Benge has solidified himself as a potential first-round pick in the Major League Baseball Draft, a three-day event that begins at 4 p.m. Sunday. 

MLB.com has Benge ranked as the No. 18 prospect in this year’s draft class after a redshirt sophomore season with the Cowboys where he batted .335 with 18 home runs and 64 RBIs to go with a .665 slugging percentage and 10 stolen bases. 

As a pitcher, he finished with a 3.18 ERA over 37 innings, beginning the year as a late-inning reliever before stepping into a starting role in May. He has an electric right arm that topped out at 96 mph, but as a left-handed hitter with a highly rated bat control-power combination, he has multiple avenues to a pro career.

 

LINK. – 

Benge has average speed and is quicker once he gets going. He’s a solid defender with plus arm strength in right field, and he perhaps could fill in as a center fielder on occasion. He’s intriguing as a quick-armed right-hander with a fastball that reaches 96 mph, a solid slider and the makings of an average changeup and control, but he prefers hitting and has focused more on that this spring. 

ESPN, ranked No. 18 

Benge redshirted his first season at OSU as he recovered from Tommy John surgery and while he did pitch the past two seasons (primarily in relief this year) and rates as a prospect as a pitcher who can hit 96 mph, his pro future is in the outfield after hitting .335/.444/.665 with 18 home runs. A left-handed hitter with good plate discipline and plus exit velocity, Benge profiles best in right field with his arm strength. 

Fangraphs, ranked No. 16 

He has maybe the sweetest swing in the 2024 draft, a smooth lefty cut with a Griffeyesque finish in the dirt behind him. Hitters with swings like this tend to struggle versus fastballs at the top of the zone, and while Benge does have the low-ball proclivity typical of hitters of that ilk, he also shows a surprising ability to flatten his path and at least spoil well-executed fastballs in the up-and-away location that tends to cause the most trouble for guys like him. He ran a 91% in-zone contact rate in 2024, a huge improvement compared to his 83% mark in 2023.

Benge has a very thin, tapered frame that is more typical of a pitcher (which, he also is) than a power-hitting outfielder, so there’s more power projection here than you’d normally see for a college hitter because Benge has room to fill out. Longer, bottom-hand dominant swings like this do tend to see an uptick in strikeouts in pro ball, so it’s pretty important Benge adds strength. Benge has a plus outfield arm but takes forever to get rid of the ball. He was up to 96 on the mound in 2024, when he began the season in the bullpen and started at the end. He looked pretty good as a pitcher, an athletic guy sitting 92-95 with a plus changeup and below-average set of breaking balls. He looks like a second or third rounder on the mound, but a first-round strong-side platoon bat as a hitter.

 

LINK - 

MLB.com ranks him as the No. 18 overall prospect, while D1Baseball lists him as a top-15 prospect in their projected rankings. 

Here’s what Major League scouts have to say about the Pokes’ top prospect 

“He's a legitimate prospect both ways, showing first-round potential at the plate and third-round upside on the mound. Few college hitters in this class can match Benge's combination of bat-to-ball skills and high exit velocities. A left-handed hitter, he controls the strike zone and uses the opposite field exceptionally well. He should have solid power thanks to his combination of hitting ability and bat speed, and he did a better job of turning on and lifting more pitches as this spring progressed.

 “Benge has average speed and is quicker once he gets going. He's a solid defender with plus arm strength in right field, and he perhaps could fill in as a center fielder on occasion. He's intriguing as a quick-armed right-hander with a fastball that reaches 96 mph, a solid slider and the makings of an average changeup and control, but he prefers hitting and has focused more on that this spring.” 

This past season as a third-year sophomore, Benge raked for the Pokes as he hit .335 on the season with 83 hits and 72 runs scored, along with 64 RBIs, 24 doubles, two triples and 18 home runs. He also had 51 strikeouts and 49 walks.

Opinion -

I wanted a pitcher here and the ones I wanted were still on the board, so I was caught off guard with this pick.

That being said, he could turn out to be a sneaky good pick as a corner outfielder.

Hits from left side with + power.

The Mets are weak in both outfield and starter depth so I will reevaluate this one two seasons from now.